


Three Weddings

by dark_pookha



Series: Lovegood-Potter Lunaverse [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Broom Racing, Community: HPFT, Drama, F/F, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Quidditch, Romance, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-13 04:01:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10505949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark_pookha/pseuds/dark_pookha
Summary: Lily Lovegood-Potter attends three weddings; her father's, her school sweetheart's and then her own. For FireOpal's 'Some Chicks Marry Chicks' challenge at HPFT. Features Lily Luna Lovegood-Potter from my stories 'Waning' and 'Quitting Quidditch'.





	1. Harry's Wedding

Lily's eyes were closed and she snuggled up closer to Justine as they danced. Her head nestled just above Justine's bosom, which was shown off to advantage in her plum-colored silk taffeta confection of a dress. Lily opened her eyes and saw her dad, Harry, twirling his new bride about the dance floor, Gabrielle's golden tresses flowed behind her along with her bubbling laughter. Harry noticed and winked at her, then spun Gabrielle around into a dip and kissed her. Lily raised her head to look up at Justine and Justine took it as an invitation. She lowered her head and their lips met as they swayed together. Lily still got a thrill through to her core every time they kissed, like a small jolt of electricity.

The song ended and they made their way back to their table, hand-in-hand. Lily's twin sister Pandora was still seated, holding a half-full flute of champagne. Her date had bailed at the last minute and she was angry, but trying to put on a good face for her dad.

"Glad to see someone enjoying themselves," she said bitterly and slugged down the rest of her champagne.

"C'mon, Dora," Lily said (only Lily could get away with calling her Dora). "It's good to see dad happy, finally."

Pandora turned to where the newly married Potters were dancing and smiled thinly. "Yeah, it is. I didn't know if I'd like her at first, but she's okay. Definitely good for dad, and that's all that matters."

She lifted her empty flute and full one floated over to her from the display stack. When she grabbed it, the empty floated back behind the bar.

Justine and Lily each raised their hands and glasses of champagne floated to them. Lily lifted hers.

"To dad's happiness."

They all clinked their glasses together.

"You should go dance with him, Dora," Lily said. She'd already taken her turn around the floor with him, just after his first dance with Gabrielle and his second dance with his old friend and Minister for Magic, Hermione Weasley.

"You're right as always, Lily." Pandora tossed back the whole flute of champagne again and rose. "No hanky-panky while I'm gone." She kissed Justine fondly on the cheek and staggered her way to her dad.

"She's drunk," Justine laughed.

"Maybe not yet, but she's on her way there." Lily pushed her half-eaten piece of wedding cake from earlier around the plate.

"Devi's going to have a hard time with Pandora; he'd better have a damn good excuse for ditching her on your dad's wedding day." Justine put her hand over Lily's, and that familiar jolt was there again.

Lily watched her dad dance with her twin sister and smiled when Pandora laughed at something her dad whispered in her ear. Justine also turned and watched Pandora dance with Harry.

"It's good to see her laugh; when she's down, you get down, too," Justine said.ch

She leaned in and kissed Lily on her cheek, just above her neck and Lily shivered involuntarily. Gentle kisses like that always made her warm and sweat began to glisten on her forehead. Justine noticed and did it again, partially because she liked it and partially to see the reaction.

Justine took the fork from Lily and took a bite of the cake, then lifted a bite of it for Lily, who ate it off the fork. Lily took the fork back and fed a piece to Justine. They finished off the slice this way, trading back and forth.

"I thought only the bride and groom did this," Justine laughed around a mouthful of cake.

"No reason it can't be a bride and a bride, you know," Lily said, and looked into Justine's eyes.

The song had finished, Pandora returned and sat heavily in her chair, and the moment had passed.

Pandora waved her hand and another flute of champagne floated over. She sipped it and watched as Harry took a spin with their mum, Luna. Luna and Harry both waved their hands wildly over their heads and spun around unselfconsciously, wide grins on their faces. Gabrielle watched with glee as she danced with Ron, who was as red-faced as ever around her.

"I'm going to go back to Hogwarts soon," Pandora said suddenly. "I'm going to find out why Devi didn't show." She cracked her knuckles. "And if he doesn't have a good reason, there'll be a reckoning."

"A reckoning?" Justine asked, her eyes crinkling with her smile. Her smile always reached her eyes and it was one of the things that Lily loved about her.

Pandora drained her champagne. "A reckoning," she repeated. "I heard it once in a Muggle movie and liked the sound of it."

She watched as Luna went back to her husband, Rolf, and dragged him to the dance floor.

"Besides," she said slyly, giving Justine and Lily a side-long glance, "that'll mean you two have the house to yourself for the whole weekend, since you've both been excused for the weekend. Do some things I wouldn't do for once."

Lily flushed, but Justine just laughed her tinkly laugh. She took Lily's hand.

"We just might." She arched her eyebrows at Lily comically.

Pandora rose unsteadily.

"You're not going to Apparate are you?" Lily asked.

"No, Apparating with this buzz would be a bad idea. I'll ask Professor Longbottom to side-along me back." She leaned in and kissed her sister on the cheek, then did the same for Justine before staggering off to Professor Longbottom, who was examining the large bouquets near the head table.

"We'll leave right after dad does, I think," Lily said.

"Sounds good to me, I can't wait to get out of this dress." Justine shrugged her shoulders and Lily watched her breasts heave as she did. Justine noticed her glance and shrugged her shoulders again. Lily laughed, scooted her chair up closer to Justine's and kissed her deeply.

"I don't know why you wore that dress anyway, since you could have worn dress robes like I did."

Justine looked down at the dress. "You know I like to dress up, and I'll probably never have another chance to wear this." She chuckled. "Besides, you like looking at me in it."

"I'll like looking at you out of it, too," Lily whispered in her ear, then they were kissing again, each lost in the touch of the other lips.

"Now, now, girls," Harry said, suddenly there. "You'll have time for that later." They both stood and he hugged Justine and kissed her on each cheek. Then he did the same for Lily.

"We're going to head out in a moment, anything you need before we go?" he asked.

Lily shook her head. "Have fun in Ibiza. It's good to see you happy again, Dad."

Harry smiled his best electric smile, the one that made his green eyes light up. "You know, I think we will."

He noticed Pandora talking to Neville. "Is she okay?"

"Devi stood her up and she got a bit drunk, so she's going to have Professor Longbottom side-along Apparate her back to Hogwarts."

"Sounds good. I pity Devi if he's not got a good excuse." He waved to Gabrielle and went to join her.

They left soon after to cheering from the guests. Lily went off to talk to the party planners and then her mum. Justine people watched as Lily made the arrangements for their departure. She really liked Lily's mum, Luna. She was open and friendly, and Justine saw a lot of Luna in Lily. Lily noticed everything about people and was a great judge of character, and she also believed deeply in some things that others couldn't fathom; Lily wasn't as...eccentric as her mum though.

Lily walked back to the table and Justine stood as she reached it.

"Ready?" she asked. Lily nodded and took her hand. Together they Disapparated with a crack and reappeared a moment later outside Lily's house. Justine noticed the garden was a bit overgrown and knew that would be changing once Gabrielle moved in. She was always so well-coiffed and put together and Justine assumed that was how she was at home, as well.

They made their way up the path and into the house through the kitchen.

"Kaiya!" Lily called then shook her head when she remembered that her Kneazle was still at Hogwarts and her suite-mate Sally was watching after her. It was just habit to call Kaiya whenever she entered her house or the Hufflepuff common room.

"You hungry?" she asked Justine. Justine shook her head, took Lily's hand and walked off with her to Lily's bedroom.

As soon as the door was closed, they were kissing passionately. Justine had been wanting to do this all day, and she could tell from Lily's trembling eagerness that she was feeling the same. They went on for a few minutes before Lily pulled back.

"God, I've wanted to do that properly all day." Lily shucked off her robes and revealed a pair of blue and grey-striped boy-short style knickers and a plain white T-shirt.

Justine turned around so her back was to Lily. "Help me out of this, would you?"

"Gladly," Lily said. She brushed Justine's long blonde hair away from the zipper at the back and pulled it down, watching Justine's deeply tanned skin and remembering the taste and feel of it. The zipper ran all the way down below her hips and Lily took her time unzipping it, unveiling her girlfriend slowly. When she had the zipper half-way down, she paused, stood on her tip-toes and nipped Justine lightly on the back of her neck just above her shoulders, the way she knew Justine liked it, then she kissed softly and slowly down Justine's spine. Anticipation passed through her and her body reacted, but it wasn't just physical. When she was with Justine like this, there was a connection, a movement of the two of them a one that completed both of them. Justine's skin broke out in gooseflesh and she opened her mouth, starting to breathe heavier. When Lily had kissed down as far as she'd unzipped, she unzipped a bit further then kissed behind it. She repeated this until she'd pulled the zipper all the way down, then she stepped back.

Justine stepped out of the dress, letting it fall in a swish of silk to the floor. Lily trailed the dress all the way down with her eyes, stopping at Justine's dark plum thong. She ran her hand over Justine's backside and then embraced her from behind. She slipped her hands around and cupped Justine's breasts. So different from her own small breasts, she loved the fullness and lushness of them. Justine put her hands over Lily's and squeezed. Lily found a silicone stick-on bra cup and pulled it off. Justine gasped at the suddenness of it, then moaned as Lily pinched her nipple lightly. Lily released the other breast from its cup, then turned Justine around.

Lily's shortness worked to her advantage as Justine's breasts were near her face. She lowered her head just a little and ran her lips and tongue slowly around them. Justine's breath started coming faster. She knew how sensitive Justine was here and the thought of what she was doing to Justine made Lily warmer and ready for what was to come. Justine reached down and grabbed the hem of Lily's shirt. Lily pulled away just enough for Justine to lift her shirt over her head. Justine smiled at the sight of Lily's slim runner's figure. They were a study in opposites; tall and short; long blonde tresses and short nearly-black hair; fair and tan; lithe and slim; and curvy with wide hips.

They explored each other with their hands and mouths, each knowing what the other liked. In the closed warmth of the bedroom, sweat glistened on their twined bodies.

"I'm ready to go further," Lily whispered into Justine's ear, finally ready to take the next step. They'd talked about it before, but Lily had always hesitated. Now, knowing that they'd most likely be going different ways after school, she'd finally decided.

"You're sure?" Justine asked. Lily responded by standing and pushing down her knickers. She straddled Justine and moved Justine's hand in between her legs. Justine took the invitation and touched her, gently at first, then more firmly as Lily whispered instructions to her. Knowing she had this power over Lily and Lily had it over her made it better, not just physical. Lily arched her back as Justine pleasured her, her breath coming fast and shallow. This was new to them both and the warmth of Justine's fingers travelled all the way through Lily's core. She met Justine's eyes and Justine watched as she brought Lily to the edge, then pushed her over.

Lily pulled Justine's hand away and slid down her body. Her hand caught in the top of Justine's thong. She looked directly at Justine's face and Justine nodded. Lily hooked her hands in the thong and pulled it down slowly, letting her hands drift over Justine's legs. When she had finished pulling it off, she made her way back up Justine's legs, kissing slowly from her ankles, and alternating between legs. She lifted Justine's legs and kissed the back of her knees, eliciting a gasp. Then she kissed up Justine's thighs and when she reached her goal, she pushed Justine's thighs further apart to lower her head. Justine's hand wrapped in Lily's hair and pulled her closer.

Justine's last thought before the waves of pleasure overtook her was she wished she could run this moment on a loop in her mind forever.

The last dim light from the setting sun crept through the edge of the curtain on the window and illuminated them as they made love.

When they had finished, and lay sated in each other's arms Justine held Lily until Lily fell asleep. Justine watched the peacefulness fall over Lily as she slept and soon, she drifted into the arms of Morpheus as well.

Justine woke first and when she stirred, Lily also awakened.

"Hey, you," Lily said, and kissed Justine.

"Hey yourself."

"Hungry?" Lily asked.

"Ravenous."

"Me too, shall we see what Dad has to eat around here?" She stood and Justine playfully pinched her bum as she did.

"Didn't you get enough of that earlier?" Lily asked archly.

"Well, maybe for now." Justine sat on the edge of the bed and stretched.

"I'm going to shower, then I'll see about some dinner," Lily left for the bathroom; Justine admired her as she walked away.

She could hear the sounds of running water from down the hall and Lily's slightly off-key rendition of a Muggle pop song. She tossed the blanket off onto the floor and stretched out naked on the sheets. The room was still warm and she briefly considered cracking the window, but decided to just stay on the bed. Her body was sore in places where passion had overtaken them, but it was a good soreness and one that she knew they would ameliorate with practice, lots of practice.

She looked around at Lily's room and closed her eyes. She and Lily had spent a lot of time here together. First and friends and then later as girlfriends and now as lovers. Their first kiss had happened here late one night as Justine slept over and Pandora was off at a Quidditch match with her father. They'd both been so nervous that night and Lily had shaken all the way up to Justine's lips, but then when their lips met, the shaking stopped as Justine returned the kiss. They each knew it was right and that they'd been thinking of the other, but had never dared before.

She remembered another night when she and Lily and Pandora talked all night about school and music and cute boys and girls. Pandora had admitted she was curious about what it was like to kiss a girl, and Justine said she wondered about boys, but Lily said she wasn't curious about boys at all. They talked a little about what had caused Harry and Luna to split, but it made Pandora's and Lily's emotions too raw, so Lily changed the subject to Quidditch. Lily wouldn't talk about it in private, either.

Lily walked back into the room, dumped her damp towel on the floor and started digging in her wardrobe for clothes. She laughed.

"Most of my good clothes are at Hogwarts." She slid into some knickers and dug a battered sports bra out of one of the drawers in wardrobe. It was probably a cup-size too small, but she squeezed into it. She slipped on an old pair of jeans with holes in the knees and a Weird Sisters concert T-shirt.

"You go shower and I'll see what's around for dinner." Lily sat on the edge of the bed and Justine sat up to kiss her. She pulled Lily back onto the bed and started to kiss her more passionately.

Lily broke away. "No," she laughed. "Food first, then more sex if we're still both up to it."

"I thought only boys got up to it," Justine said as she got up and went to shower. She gave her hips an extra sashay as she left the room and could feel Lily's eyes on her.

Lily stayed on the bed for a moment, breathing in Justine's scent and remembering their first kiss. God above, she'd been so nervous. She also thought about when she told her dad that Justine was now her girlfriend and not just a friend anymore. She'd been so worried that he'd object to a girlfriend, but he said her mum had told him that Lily liked girls and he'd already worked through his feelings on it. He said that being raised by his Muggle aunt and uncle he'd had to deal with enough prejudice that he didn't want to propagate it (his words), and whoever Lily loved was her own business. Still, she was glad he approved of Justine. It helped that Justine was a Gryffindor too, Lily thought.

She heard Justine singing in the shower as she left the bedroom and walked down the hallway to the kitchen. Justine was singing the same song she'd been singing, but actually singing it well. Lily grinned as she remembered Justine dragging her to a thing called ‘karaoke night' at a local club. They'd had so much fun, even though Lily only knew a few of the songs. Justine told her it wasn't about singing well, but it was more about loosening up and having fun; Lily had little problem doing that. When they'd doubled with Pandora one night though, Pandora just couldn't bring herself to get up on stage and sing.

Lily dug around in the fridge and didn't find much; a couple of bottles of dark Muggle stout, some moldy cheddar and a bunch of condiments, ‘bachelor fridge' her dad called it. She opened the freezer compartment and looked; it was as bleak as the fridge.

She sighed and checked the time. Sally would still be up. She went back to the bedroom and retrieved her wand from the night stand. A flick and her Kneazle Patronus was there.

"Sally, love, if you're not busy, could you go down to the kitchens and ask Daisy to Apparate some food to us at my dad's house?" She swished her wand and the Patronus disappeared. Nothing happened; she'd forgotten the wards around the school. She straightened up and called, "Daisy!" thinking that maybe the wards didn't work the same for house elves as they did for witches.

A moment later and the house elf Daisy Apparated with a bang. She wore a frilly yellow tea-towel and had pierced ears with a pair of plain hoop earrings in them. Lily had given them to her for Christmas one year after carefully making sure they wouldn't count as clothes and insult her. She'd let Pandora pierce her ears and had worn the earrings ever since, not caring what the other house elves said.

"Yes, Mistress Lovegood-Potter?" Daisy asked. "How may Daisy be of service?"

"You know you can call me Lily when we're alone, don't you?" Lily asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, Mistress, uh...Lily, I do." She nodded.

Justine walked down the hallway. She'd obviously had the foresight to pack a change of clothes since she was wearing low-slung jeans and a frilly peasant blouse.

"Daisy!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" She knelt and hugged the house elf, who hugged her back awkwardly.

"I was waiting for miss...Lily to tell me," she pulled away from Justine.

"I was wondering if you could bring us some food from Hogwarts, since my dad didn't leave much in the house." Lily opened the fridge and Daisy made a ‘tsk' sound.

"Daisy isn't supposed to take food out of Hogwarts for students, but Daisy can take out food for hungry people in need." She smiled broadly. "You look like hungry people in need." She Disapparated with another loud bang.

"Is it that loud when I Apparate?" Lily asked.

Justine shook her head and sat at the kitchen table. "No, it seems to be a house elf thing. Maybe ask Hermione next time you see her and she'll know why or maybe Professor Asmadi would."

Lily filled a couple of glasses from the tap. "So it's water or stout, I'm afraid." She got some plates and cutlery out and set the table.

Justine shuddered. "No more alcohol for me today, the cake and champagne sugar rush is wearing off and I'm feeling a bit shaky."

"Yeah, it's good fuel for a brief surge of energy and then boom, crash," Lily agreed.

"That was more than a ‘brief surge' earlier." Justine said and put her hand on Lily's as Lily sat down. Lily again felt the familiar tingle pass through her at Justine's touch. This was what having a lover and not just a girlfriend felt like, warm and tingly, but with an edge of satiated lust also. She looked at Justine's face and could tell she was thinking something similar.

Daisy reappeared with a bang. She had a huge platter of food.

"There's some cold chicken, a leg of mutton, a cold veggie tray, a slice of strawberry cake that Daisy knows Miss Justine loves, and a sticky toffee pudding for Miss Lily." She put the tray down the table.

"I see there's also a treacle tart and a bottle of wine," Justine said.

Daisy bowed deeply. "Those are for Master Potter and his bride, courtesy of the House Elves of Hogwarts. I was told to say that there are ‘those as remember' and present it with compliments. The tart has a freshness charm on it and will keep for a month or more in the fridge."

Justine picked up the wine bottle. "That's a 2010 Château Margaux." She whistled. "That's a seriously expensive bottle of wine."

"Only the best for Master Harry," Daisy said. "That bottle was meant to go to Professor Slughorn before he retired for the second time, but it got misplaced. Some of the house elves thought Master Harry deserved it more, but Daisy didn't say that." She laughed and both Justine and Lily smiled.

"Thanks, Daisy, I'll be sure that dad gets it and that he gets the tart." She knelt and hugged the elf, who looked uncomfortable again for a moment, then hugged her back. She kissed Lily fondly on the cheek.

"You're welcome, Miss. May Daisy go now?"

Lily nodded and Daisy Disapparated.

"Tuck in," Lily said and they both fell to a companionable silence while eating. Lily also like to watch Justine eat. She did it with gusto, but not like Ron, who just shoveled food in. Justine enjoyed and savored each flavor and took her time. Lily knew that applied to other things now, too and shivered.

When they'd finished Justine cleared the table and Lily helped her wash the few dishes they'd dirtied.

"What do you want to do now?" Lily asked.

Justine looked down at the table, then looked up. Lily knew what she was going to say. Justine had tried to bring up the subject of what was going to happen after school a few times and Lily had always changed the subject. Justine had a Gryffindor's tenacity in facing unpleasant subjects, but Lily always wanted to avoid them until they couldn't be avoided any more.

"I think we should talk about after school," Justine said quietly. She plowed on before Lily could speak. "It's just going to be a few months, and it's important, especially now that we've taken that next step."

Lily pushed her chair up closer to Justine's. She reached under the table, took Justine's hand in hers and gripped hard.

"You're right, I've been avoiding the subject; it's going to be hard going such different ways." Lily hung her head.

Justine lifted Lily's head and looked her right in her green eyes. "We can make this decision together. Earlier when you said there's no reason it couldn't be a bride and a bride, you were right. It can be a bride and a bride, but do you think that's us? Do you want to try to make the long-distance thing work?"

Lily's eyes filled. This was a sore spot with her and Justine didn't fully understand why. "I'm sorry, love. I know it's hard, but won't it be harder to let it go and have it unresolved when school ends? I'm going to America to study and you're going to be training for the Falcons for your first season and then the national team. You don't want this hanging over our heads then, do you?"

Lily shook her head and tears fell on her shirt. She sniffled. "Today was so good and now this." She laughed bitterly just like Pandora had earlier when she was talking about Devi, sometimes they really sounded alike.

"I love you, Lily and want to do what's best for both of us, and I know you do, too." Justine gripped Lily's hand tighter.

Lily stood, went to the fridge and took out one of the bottles. She pulled up the old-style lifting cork and took a huge swig.

"Ick, bitter," she shuddered, then took another big gulp.

She sat back at the table and took Justine's hand again.

"I never told you about why my parents broke up did I?"

Justine shook her head. "Pandora won't tell me either."

"You know how Mum's always off exploring and looking for fantastic beasts?"

Justine nodded.

"My dad had proposed to my mum three times and she'd always turned him down, saying that what they had should be good enough for now, but then one time when she was off in Nepal, after Lily and I had been born, but were young, she got married."

"What!?" Justine interrupted. "She got married to Rolf spur of the moment?"

"Just like that," Lily snapped her fingers, then took another drink of the stout. "She told Dad that she'd met the love of her life. It took my dad years to get over that, years." She trailed off and her tears started flowing again.

"What a bitch! I never pictured her that way." Justine shook her head.

"No, no, that's what I thought for a while, but then I saw how perfect Rolf was for her, in a way that Dad never could have been." She flicked condensation off the bottle nervously. "But that's not the thing that makes me worried."

She lifted her head and looked at Justine. "I worry that if we go so far apart that one of us will meet someone else. I know that school sweethearts don't actually often marry, but I've fantasized about it so much that it's hard to picture anything else."

"God, Lily, I love you, too, but don't you think we're young to be talking about marriage?"

"Nana Weasley and Arthur weren't much older than us when they got married." (She always had called Molly that since she was like a mother to Harry and a grandmother to her.)

"There was a war on then, and people got married younger, I know, but it's something I think about," Lily said.

"Even if we got married and tried to make this work long-distance, how often do you think we'd see each other?" Justine asked. She motioned at the bottle and Lily handed it to her. She took a swig and then said, "You were right, it's bitter."

Lily didn't answer, and just stared at the table.

Justine plowed on, "You'll be playing your first season and training, then you'll be training for the national team, the friendlies and the qualifiers, and with a bit of luck, the World Cup, and I'll be off on digs in Arizona, Montana and Saskatchewan. I won't be able to just drop it all and come back to England."

"I could come with you," Lily said in a small voice.

"And do what?" Justine asked. "You love Quidditch as much as your sister." Lily started shaking her head, but Justine kept talking. "Don't deny it, you've loved Quidditch longer and harder than Pandora ever has. It's really your first love and I'm your second."

Lily shook her head harder.

Justine put her arms around Lily and held her. "Shh, it's all right. I don't mind being your second love, you've got room in your heart for both."

Lily sobbed into Justine's chest.

"I-I know you're right, but it's so fucking hard." She waved her wand and summoned a handkerchief.

She wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

"God, I know you're right," Lily said. "We can't just leave it hanging. Commit to a long-distance relationship or let it go when we leave school, right?"

"That's how I see it," Justine agreed. "And based on what we're going to both be doing and how you feel about long-distance working from your parents, I think I know what we'll decide."

Lily drained the beer, put the bottle away in the sink and then returned to stand by Justine's chair. She put her arms around Justine from behind and kissed her damp hair.

"I don't see how we can," she said quietly.

"It'll be hard letting you go, love," Justine said, "but then you'll be free."

"I won't be free, I'll never be free of your love, just as you'll never be free of mine. It's something we'll have shared and it will be with us forever even if it's not current at the time." Lily lifted Justine's hair and kissed her behind the ear.

"That sounded like your mum," Justine said.

"She's strange, but very wise." Lily yawned. "I'm going to bed; you coming?"

Justine stood and held her close. "I'm with you." She kissed Lily and they went back to the bedroom. Lily lay down first, fully clothed and Justine spooned up behind her. Lily tensed up at Justine's touch, but then relaxed back into her and started sobbing. Justine held Lily as she cried herself to sleep and then Justine rose quietly, sat on the side of the bed, put her head in her hands and cried until she was too tired to cry any more. She stripped down, spooned back up against Lily, pulled the blanket from the floor over them both and slept a troubled sleep next her.


	2. A Wedding Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily receives a wedding invitation and has a good talk with her sister, Pandora.

Pandora yanked on her dress quickly and it tore at the base of the zipper.

"Fuck! Why only when I'm late?" She ran to her bedroom and grabbed her wand to repair it when the doorbell rang, and then rang again and again.

"Be right there!" she shouted. She finally found her wand where it had rolled under the unmade bed. She waved it at the tear in her dress and repaired it.

Then she hopped to the door while trying to get her heels on.

"Sorry, I know I'm late, Duncan," she said, opening the door while leaning over and strapping on her shoes. When she stood back up, it wasn't Duncan at the door at all. It was Lily, standing there in a dusty violet tracksuit holding a container of ice cream. Her eyes were red and puffy like she'd been crying.

"Sorry, Dora, but do you have time to talk?" Lily's voice was small.

Pandora waved her in. She knew it was serious more from the ice cream than the evidence of crying. Not much would cause Lily to break her training regimen; she took fitness very seriously. She closed the door behind her sister and Lily flopped down on Pandora's couch.

"I need to let Duncan know I can't make it; give me a moment." Pandora hobbled back to her bedroom on one high heel.

"Tell him it's my fault for once, and he can be angry at me instead." Lily popped the lid on the ice cream, stuck a finger in it and licked it off, then did it again.

From the bedroom she heard Pandora's voice. " _Expecto Patronum!_ " She could picture Pandora's leopard Patronus and then she heard her tell Duncan that there'd been an emergency with her sister and she had to stay home. Duncan's reply came back quickly to take care of Lily and make sure she was all right and that he'd see Pandora tomorrow. Lily thought, not for the first time, that Duncan may finally be the one for Pandora.

Pandora came back in with a pair of jeans and a soft jumper. She threw them on the couch next to Lily and started changing out of her dress.

"What's wrong, Lily-love," she asked, using the pet name only she and her dad called Lily.

Lily waited until Pandora had finished changing before handing her a cream-colored, thick envelope with Lily's address on it. Pandora recognized Justine's handwriting and winced. She knew what this would be. The envelope had already been slit open, so Pandora pulled out the card inside and read.

_Justine Eliot and Elisabetta Carvalho request the honor_   
_of your presence at their marriage on the_   
_Twentieth of March at half- past four at the First_   
_Presbyterian Church, Billings, Montana, with reception to follow._

There was another small card inside with RSVP instructions including allowing a plus-one, directions, and a hand-written note that Pandora didn't read, preferring to let Lily decide if she should.

"Shit," Pandora said softly. She went to the kitchen and got two spoons from her cupboard, then came back and sat next to her twin. She handed one of the spoons to Lily and they both ate in silence for a while before Lily spoke.

"I knew this would happen," she said between sobs. "I told her it would. While we were apart, one of us would meet someone else, just like it happened with Mum and Dad." She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and rubbed her nose.

"It has been five years, though, so it's not like it's sudden." Pandora squeezed her shoulder. She tried reason first, but knew it probably wouldn't work; Lily thought with her heart and not her head.

"I knew it was coming, Justine kept hinting about it in her letters, but having it actually happen is another thing all together." Lily dug out another spoonful of ice cream.

"I'm not saying it shouldn't hurt, don't get me wrong," Pandora held up her hand. "This was a choice both of you made after weighing the pros and cons, right?"

Lily nodded despondently.

"It seems like you analyzed all the possibilities and chose the one with the least likelihood of long-term resentment, right?" She kept talking as Lily opened her mouth to answer. "That was rhetorical, let me continue. If you'd given up Quidditch to follow her there, you would have been miserable, right?"

Lily nodded again.

"And if Justine had stayed here, she would never have been able to study in America with Professor What's-His-Name. She'd have stayed here and what, joined the Ministry or worked at Gringott's as a curse-breaker?"

"I know all that!" Lily shouted. "Fuck it all! I know all that shit!" She stood suddenly and the spoon and ice cream went flying from her lap.

"It's not here that I haven't accepted it." She pointed at her head. "It's here." She pointed at her heart.

"I still love her." She started crying again and flopped back on the couch. Pandora wrapped her in a tight hug and let Lily cry on her. She must have been cried out already, because it was only a few minutes before Lily spoke.

"I'm sorry, Dora, I shouldn't be laying my shit on you." She sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief.

"Shh, it's all right; you know you can always lay your shit on me." They both laughed at the crudeness. Lily sat up and noticed the mess the melting ice cream was making in Pandora's spotless flat. She pulled her wand from her back pocket and cleaned it up, then levitated the container to the garbage bin.

"Are you going?" Pandora asked.

Lily nodded. "I have to, she deserves that." She sniffled again. "She was always the best part of me."

"No." Pandora said simply. "She's not the best part of you and she never was. The best part of you is your heart. You love easily and get attached, like you did with Fang. You kept him when you only meant to foster him as a kitten. You always get attached to my boyfriends and get mad at me when we break up."

"Except Claude; I hated that dick," Lily said. "I knew he was cheating on you, but I just couldn't prove it."

"Except Claude." Pandora smiled. "I think sometimes you're part Kneazle yourself; you know when someone's not right." She laughed and Lily smiled wanly.

"Look," Pandora continued, "I know this is going to be hard, but it's the right thing to do and you know it too. Your Hufflepuff is showing, dear sister."

"Yeah, I guess it is, and it's going to have to show even more, I think." Lily pulled out the hand-written note from the envelope and handed it to her sister.

Pandora unfolded it and read in silence. Justine was asking Lily to be her maid of honor if she was up to it. She said she knew that this had to hurt, but there was no one else she'd rather have at her side than Lily. She said she also understood if Lily didn't want to come, but that she hoped she would.

"She was always the brave one, the Gryffindor. She was the one that told me I needed to come out to Dad earlier, and to just be proud of who I was. If I'd told her why I stopped playing Quidditch for that year, she would have been the one to convince me to start playing again instead of Sally. Whenever we ran into hate because we were two girls, she'd be the one to confront them." Lily looked up and shook her head. "I was never that brave. Fuck, I'm rambling."

Pandora handed the note back to Lily. "You're not rambling; you're making perfect sense."

Pandora stood suddenly and said, "C'mon, let's go out for dinner, we can use the reservation that Duncan made for our date and have a good dinner. You'll feel better than just having ice cream and a cry."

"Can I borrow some clothes?" Lily asked, looking down at her tracksuit. Pandora guessed that she'd run all the way here and picked up the ice cream at the corner store rather than buying it and then Apparating. It would be like Lily to work out her feelings while running or flying.

"Of course you can. If the trousers are a bit short in the leg, I can modify them with my wand."

They went into Pandora's bedroom and changed in silence. Lily went into the bathroom and when she came back out, her tear-streaked face was mostly cleaned up. Pandora offered to help her with makeup to hide some of her eye puffiness, but Lily declined as Pandora knew she would. Lily very rarely wore makeup.

Over dinner, Lily talked it all out with Pandora. She would accept Justine's offer and take her friend Sally as her plus-one. Really, she'd already decided that, but hearing Pandora agree with her made her feel better. Pandora worked through Lily's feelings with rationality, validating what Lily was feeling; Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff collaborating on human emotion.

 

* * *

 

 

Billings made Lily think of some of the Scottish highlands, with the city nestled between mountains. It was still cold, even though it was the first day of Spring, and her dress didn't do much to ward off the chill. She would have used her wand to cast a Warming Charm, but Elisabetta's extended family were Muggles, so she couldn't. She settled for wrapping the long coat around herself more tightly as they climbed the steps to the church.

Her stomach still knotted seeing Justine with Elisabetta, but after meeting Elisabetta, she felt better. Elisabetta had a way of making everyone comfortable with her immediately. She had an empathy that couldn't be faked and Lily saw why Justine loved her. Even more, she saw that Justine did love Elisabetta and it was returned in kind. When Elisabetta smiled, it lit up the room. She was tall, almost as tall as Justine, with deeply tanned skin and long flowing black hair that even Pandora would have envied. Her brown eyes sparkled with vivacity and she stood close and would touch your arm as you spoke with her.

Elisabetta had met Justine on a dig and they'd immediately become friends. Lily could tell from the letters she'd received that it started becoming serious almost immediately. They moved in together after just six months and were engaged before the year was out. They'd kept it quiet until after they'd both graduated the archeology program, but wanted to get married before they both went off to wherever their careers took them next. Lily closed her eyes remembering the letters. She'd been able to read between the lines and knew the wedding announcement would be coming soon, but it still took her by surprise when it came, mostly she thought because she just couldn't admit it to herself.

"You're drifting away again," Sally whispered from her side.

Lily opened her eyes. "How often have you told me that over the years?" she whispered.

Sally laughed. "Way too many." She hugged Lily, took Lily's coat, then went to sit on Justine's side of the church.

Lily made her way up to the altar and stood at the side, waiting with the priest and smiling at Elisabetta's friend, Charles, who she'd chosen as her Man of Honor. Charles and Lily had gone out for drinks after the rehearsal dinner last night and had a great time. They'd sat and talked until the wee hours, and when they finally saw the time, he walked her to her room. She thought briefly about inviting him in to talk all night, but decided that sleep was more important. He had kissed her on both cheeks and they hugged before he went to his room, humming.

Justine and Elisabetta both entered together as the organist began playing the wedding march. They wore matching bridal gowns and veils, neither wanting to outshine the other. Elisabetta had a huge smile on her face and Justine looked focused but happy. Elisabetta's young cousin followed them, strewing flower petals behind them.

The walked slowly to the altar where the priest waited for them. When they arrived, Justine turned and hugged Lily and Elisabetta did the same for Charles. Then they turned back to the priest, took each other's hand and waited.

The music stopped and the priest spoke.

"We are gathered here today..."

 The rest of the ceremony, Lily watched Justine and knew they'd both made the right decision years ago. It still hurt, but it had been right. Justine deserved her happiness and so did Lily and she'd find it on her own.


	3. Lily's Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily meets someone and it's finally her turn.

Lily extended her leg and squatted, making sure she was fully stretched out before her run had become even more important at thirty-five than it had at seventeen when she was just starting her Quidditch career. Every morning, as soon as it was light, she’d be at work taking her morning run around the pitch where she tested brooms. She stood and pulled her arm behind her head and then went through the rest of her routine before starting out at a slow jog. When she completed her first lap, she sped up, sprinted, and then slowed down. The cool morning air flowed around her face and she watched the sun rise over the pitch as she made her third lap.

A running step came from behind her and she looked over her shoulder. A women in a pale lavender Lycra tracksuit was running up behind her. It was unusual for anyone else to be out here at this time of morning, but occasionally, another runner was out or someone up early testing a broom. She pulled to the inside to let the other woman pass her on the outside. As the woman ran by, she looked over her shoulder, turned back to the front, then did a double-take. Lily knew she’d been recognized, and tried to place if she knew the woman.

She must have been late twenties or early thirties. Slightly taller than Lily, lightly freckled face on pale skin, with dirty-blonde hair pulled back in a queue. Her nose was long and aquiline, with thin lips. Lily knew she’d seen her somewhere before. She racked her brain as she ran, but just couldn’t think where she knew the woman from.

When Lily returned to her pack, the woman had gone. Lily saw her running off across the moors, and wondered if she’d scared her off.

The same scene played out every morning over the next week. Lily was halfway through her run when this woman would blow by her and then run off across the moors. Lily determined the next day to talk to her. When the woman passed her, Lily picked up her pace and matched her. She turned and looked at Lily and smiled, then ran faster. Lily smiled back, grimaced, and pushed herself to keep up.

When they reached the end of the pitch, Lily expected the woman to run off across the moors like always and prepared to feel the burn of the cross-county run in addition to her normal training, but to her surprise the woman stopped by Lily’s pack.

“I was wondering if your competitive streak would catch up to you,” the woman said in between gasps as she put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath.

“I knew you recognized me that first day,” Lily said.

The woman nodded. “Lily Lovegood-Potter; five time scoring champion; four time holder of the championship, twice with your twin sister Pandora on the Tornadoes; two time MVP of the World Cup, both during England’s championships; and third all-time scoring leader in the Premier League. Also, a lock for inclusion in the Hall of Fame next year.”

“You forgot two-time junior champion,” Lily said, laughing heartily. Now that she was up close, she finally placed the woman.

The woman held her hand out. Lily took it.

“I’m—” the woman began before Lily interrupted.

“Persephone Clearwater; three-time All-European racing champion and holder of the record for London to Manchester on the Nimbus Celeritas racing broom just last year.”

“You forgot three-time Junior champion,” Persephone said and they both laughed. Persephone had a rich, full laugh.

“What brings you here?” Lily asked.

“Here running, or here at Nimbus HQ?” Persephone smiled and jogged in place as a cool-down routine.

“Both, if I’m not too much of a Nosy Parker.” Lily started her cool-down routine, too.

“Well, I’m working here now in the sales department as liaison for racing brooms and a racing broom tester. I just started two weeks ago.” Persephone sat and started rubbing her legs. “I got to my office early one morning and saw someone running around the pitch, so I thought I’d join in the next day.”

She grinned. “Then when I ran past you, I couldn’t believe it; Lily Lovegood-Potter, one of the Terror Twins of the Tutshill Tornados and I just blew by her on the track. I knew you’d come to work here, but I never thought I’d actually meet you.”

Lily smiled. “Hopefully I’m not disappointing in person.”

“Not at all; I met your sister once and she told me to ‘bugger off.’ I think I got her when she was on a date, though and I don’t think she recognized me, probably thought I was an autograph seeker or paparazzi.”

“She can be prickly at times, sorry about that,” Lily said. She dug in her pack for a bag of her own blend of trail mix. She munched some of it, then offered the bag to Persephone. Persephone took it and grabbed a handful of the mix.

“You’re not working on racing brooms in R&D?” Lily asked.

Persephone handed the bag of trail mix back. “No, my Charms work isn’t good enough, but I can sell the hell out them, especially since they’re products I believe in, and I won most of my championships on Nimbus brooms.”

“Yeah, me too; it’s why I came to work here. Comet offered me a lot more money, but I’ve never really liked their high-end brooms.”

Persephone nodded. “I agree; they’re great for novices, but pros need more, and Nimbus is the way to go. God, I sound like one of the commercials you hear on the WWN.” She put on an affected deep male voice, “Nimbus brooms: for the pro in you.”

“Wow, you really are good at selling.” They both laughed.

“Would you like to hear the pitch I’m working on for the European Racing League?” Persephone asked.

“Sure, but I need my coffee first,” Lily said, packing up her bag. “Meet you in the commissary in fifteen minutes?”

Persephone smiled, and her grey eyes twinkled. “Sure, sounds good, it’ll give me time to clean up and get into work-appropriate clothing.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sally rose to get a plate of biscuits from the kitchen, but Lily leapt up first and went in to get them.

“I’m pregnant, not helpless,” Sally called from her living room.

Lily returned with a plate of shortbread biscuits and a pot of tea. She sat them on the table in between her and Sally. It had been hard finding time together lately with Sally raising her family and Lily working so much and just starting her relationship with Persephone.

“What did you want to talk about? You sounded pretty excited, even through a Patronus.” Sally poured herself a cup of tea and added a cube of sugar. As she stirred, she watched Lily. She could tell from Lily’s nervous foot jiggling and broad, open smile that Lily was bursting with news.

“I’ve met someone and I think it’s going to be good for once.” Lily said, her face flushing and her ears going pink.

“Did you think at thirty-five you’d still be embarrassed to talk about dating and S-E-X?” Sally spelled out the last word.

Lily choked on her biscuit and spat up a few crumbs, then laughed with her friend.

“It’s not like I’ve got lots of experience,” Lily said. “I’ve only really dated two other women since Justine.”

“That’s because you’re picky.” She imitated Lily, “Oooh, she’s too short; she’s too Scottish, I don’t like gingers, she’s not very nice, I don’t like her ass, she’s a mean girl.”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Lily replied. “I was picky, you’re right, but I never said ‘too Scottish.’”

“So, tell me about her,” Sally said, grabbing another biscuit and dunking it in her tea.

“Her name’s Persephone Clearwater—” Lily started to say.

“Hmm, name sounds familiar, but I’m not sure where from,” Sally said.

“She’s a broom racer,” Lily said, “and a champion at that.”

Sally snapped her fingers. “I knew I’d heard of her, but I don’t follow racing like you do.”

“She’s working at Nimbus, too, in the sales and testing departments. I met her one morning when we were both out running.” Lilly sipped her tea.

“What’s she like?” Sally asked.

“She’s open and caring, she does charity work for the War Orphan’s Fund and she love cats, too.”

Sally smiled and laughed. “What did she think when she met Fang?”

“Fang went right up to her and leapt right into her arms.” Lily laughed at Sally’s expression, Fang was large, even for a Kneazle, pushing 25 kilos. “It’s a good thing she works out or Fang would have knocked her over. As it was, she staggered a bit before she waddled over to the couch with him and put him down. When she did, he head-butted her elbow so hard I could hear it from the door. She just took it in stride and petted him while he purred and kneaded on the couch.”

“Kneazle-approved is always a bonus. Remember how Kaiya didn’t like Gloriana when you were dating her?” Sally asked.

“Yeah, I should have taken that as a sign.” Lily had come back one day to find Gloriana had locked Kaiya, Lily’s pet Kneazle since she was five, in a bathroom without any food, water or a litterbox. That had been the last straw; Lily had kicked her out immediately, throwing her clothes into the hallway and almost cursing her in front of Muggles. Gloriana had yelled and cried, and begged to be taken back, but Lily held firm. When Gloriana had finally gone, she’d sat on the couch with Kaiya pulled up close to her chest and sobbed silently while Kaiya purred and put her head on Lily’s shoulders. Lily hadn’t dated since then, and when Kaiya passed on a few months later, Lily had gone into a fugue for years, broken only by Pandora joining her on the Tornadoes.

“We’ve been on five dates now, and I’m pretty sure she’s feeling the same way.” Lily disappeared into her thoughts for a while like she had a tendency to do. Sally let her drift for a while before interrupting.

“It’s good to see you excited for once about a girlfriend.” Lily’s smiled disappeared. “Is it too early to call her a girlfriend?”

“Yes, no,” Lily stammered, then caught herself. “I hope not, I’d like to call her girlfriend. God, I hope she feels the same way. You know I don’t do casual.”

“Sounds like you two have a lot in common.” Sally reached across and took Lily’s hand. “I know they say opposites attract, and it may be true somewhat, but having some shared interests really will help. I know you said in the past that you didn’t want to date another athlete because you didn’t want to perpetuate stereotypes, but I think you were selling yourself and them short. Love who you love, don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.”

“Wow, that may be the longest speech you’ve ever given me,” Lily said around a mouthful of biscuit. She squeezed Sally’s hand back.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Dinner at the little café had been terrific. She’d talked with Persephone all night about small things: work, Quidditch, broom racing, her sister, and her friend Sally. Persephone told her about her family: her brothers and her sister. They talked about school days. Persephone had gone to Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts because her parents were worried about Hogwarts’s safety. Persephone was fascinated with Hogwarts’s house system.

The left the café, and started walking down the High street.

“You said you had something special planned next?” Persephone asked curiously.

Lily smiled slyly and nodded. She reached out her hand and Persephone took it. They walked only a few blocks before Lily led her into a pub entrance. As soon as Lily opened the door, the sound of pop music blasted over them.

“Are you sure?” Persephone asked. They’d always gone to quiet pubs or cafés before and this noisy, smelly place didn’t seem like Lily at all.

“I’m sure; you’ll have fun.” Lily pulled her in, paid the doorman with Muggle money and slipped him a piece of paper. Persephone watched curiously, but held her tongue.

Lily led her to a table near the stage where a man and woman were singing a song that Persephone didn’t recognize, looking at an electronic screen that was showing the words. Lily held up her hand at the waitress and she returned a moment later with two pints. Lily sipped her beer and watched as Persephone lifted the glass to her lips and tasted it carefully. Then Persephone smiled and settled in to watch and drink. It was too loud to talk, so she watched Lily, who watched the couples and singles who took the stage to sing. Lily was obviously enjoying the scene. Persephone gradually realized that it wasn’t about singing well, but more about having fun. She drained her beer and held up her hand for a refill. Lily noticed and finished hers as well.

Their refills had just arrived, when the emcee called their names. Persephone shook her head, but Lily took her hand and half-dragged Persephone to the stage. Persephone paused a moment and took a big gulp of her beer first, which led to laughter from the rest of the patrons. She hoisted her glass in a toast to the others and they shouted back and raised their glasses.

When they got to the stage, Lily handed her a microphone. Persephone looked around at the crowd, but the stage lights just made them dull shadows. Lily pushed a button on the machine and music started. Persephone didn’t know the song, but when the lyrics started to scroll across the screen, she smiled and tried singing along with Lily. She stumbled a few times, but it didn’t matter. Lily sang with her and it was perfect. When the song was done, she pulled Lily close and gave her a deep kiss. Applause and wolf-whistles came from the crowd. They went back to their table where they drank their beer as they watched the others. After their third beer they went back and sang another song. When they were done, they both curtseyed deeply and then left the bar.

As soon as they left, and were back outside in the cool night air, Persephone pushed Lily up against the wall of the pub and kissed her. Lily hugged Persephone tightly to her by the lapels of her jacket and returned the kiss. Tongues met, then Lily pushed back the collar of Persephone’s shirt and kissed her on the neck. Persephone gasped and Lily kissed up to Persephone’s ear, then took her earlobe into her mouth. She pulled a hand from behind Persephone and slid it under her shirt. Her hand rested on Persephone’s breast over her bra and she kneaded lightly. Persephone moaned and whispered in Lily’s ear.

“Not here in the street, let’s go back to my place.”

“Yes,” Lily said simply. She took Persephone’s hand and they went into the alley together. A moment later two loud pops echoed from the alley. A car alarm went off.

The appeared in the foyer of Persephone’s flat. As soon as they arrived, Lily pushed Persephone back against the door and began kissing her neck and lips. Persephone shrugged her jacket off and then pushed Lily’s jacket off.

Persephone reached down as Lily was kissing her and undid the buttons on her blouse. Lily noticed and started helping. When Persephone had opened her blouse, Lily pushed it off her shoulders. It stayed pinned against the door for a moment until Lily reached behind Persephone and unhooked her bra. When she pulled Persephone forward to pull the bra off, the pinned shirt fell to the ground. Lily threw the bra behind her and ran her fingers lightly around Persephone’s nipples which responded immediately.

“Yes,” Persephone said, enjoying the light touch of the fingers and the hot lips which explored her neck and chest. When Lily took a nipple into her mouth and rolled it with her tongue, Persephone moaned and pulled her closer.

Lily lifted her lips back to Persephone’s and they kissed deeply again. Persephone pushed Lily back and unzipped her skirt. She pulled it down with her knickers and stood naked before Lily. Lily looked over her girlfriend’s tight body; small breasts with tiny nipples, a hard stomach and small ass. Smooth, pale lightly-freckled skin that was breaking out with gooseflesh. It had been so long, it was hard not to just push her up against the door and have her way with her, but she wanted also to take it slow and savor the moment.

Persephone smiled. “I know that look,” she said, “you want to go slow, but you also just want to just fuck like a cat in heat.”

Lily nodded, afraid of words.

Persephone stepped forward, grabbed Lily’s shirt and ripped it open. Buttons went flying, pinging off an umbrella stand and a side table. Lily gasped. Persephone smiled, then grabbed the front of Lily’s jeans. Lily gasped as Persephone squeezed.

“There’s time for slow later,” Persephone purred, then jerked the buttons on Lily’s jeans open. She slid her hand inside Lily’s knickers and pushed her up against the wall. Lily’s breath came faster and heavier as Persephone pleasured her. She reached down, and soon both of them were gasping.

Later, in bed they rested in each other’s arms. Lily’s lips were pressed against the soft skin of Persephone’s neck and Persephone breathed in their combined smells in Lily’s hair. Their hands roamed each other’s bodies languidly.

“God, I’ve wanted to do that since I first met you,” Persephone said into Lily’s ear, making her flinch slightly from the breath on her. “But, I didn’t just want to seem like a horny fangirl.”

“It’s good that you didn’t come on that way, or I would have just ran. I’ve been good at running in the past, but I think that’s through now,” Lily whispered back. Persephone brought her head back and their lips met again. Passion built again, but slower this time and they each took their time. Lily let herself go like she hadn’t for years and long-forgotten feelings welled back to the surface. She wiped tears away and then plunged back into the present with her new lover.

In the morning, Persephone’s voice came from the shower.

“Lily, I—there is something I’d like you to do for me, or I guess with me.”

Lily stood and walked to the bathroom door, unashamed of her nakedness. She poked her head around and saw the Persephone’s vague outline behind the glass of the stall. “What is it?” She asked suddenly worried that something would destroy the perfect moment of last night and this morning.

“I want to come out of retirement and race again, but I want you to do it with me.” Persephone opened the door and stepped out. She began to towel off and Lily watched her, admiring. “I don’t want to do too many races, just the London to Manchester, the Edinburgh Sprints and the Calais Crossing.” She paused in her toweling. “I know you’ve never raced professionally before, but I think you could do it; I’ve seen you in your testing.”

“I—I don’t know,” Lily said. “You’re right, I’ve never raced before, but I always wondered if I could have; if I would have been good enough, fast enough.”

Persephone finished drying herself and walked to Lily. She pulled her close and kissed her gently. “Just think about it, we could race together and we don’t even really have to leave the UK. You don’t have to answer now, the Edinburgh Sprints aren’t for another three months.” She pinched Lily’s bum gently. “Now, you should go shower so we can get some breakfast.”

“I almost don’t want to shower; I smell like you,” Lily whispered back huskily.

Persephone smiled again and kissed her chastely. “Believe me, I understand, but you’ll feel better after showering.” She left and Lily got in the shower, her brain whirling, her heart fluttering and her hands shaking. It always felt like this when a new relationship started, but she could feel something different this time; it was going to last, she knew it. She began to sing as she lathered her hair and Persephone paused in dressing and laughed as listened. It was the song they’d sang together in the pub.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Harry turned the WWN up to listen as he worked on his reports. Gabrielle sat quietly translating a French romance into English. Soft snoring came from the fat tabby resting at her side.

“Lamorak Malfoy today here with your call as we start the Edinburgh Sprint Finals,” the voice came from the WWN. “Starting in the inside position, back from retirement is Persephone Clearwater, the odds-on favorite to win this race for the seventh time. Then from the inside we have Philomena Striker, Corvus Black, his brother Taurus Black, John Derringer, Lily Lovegood-Potter, Serafina VanKoos, and finally Martin Kostinski. Caradoc, your thoughts on this race?”

Another man’s voice came from the wireless, with a Welsh accent. “As you said, Clearwater’s the favorite here, but I believe that she’ll have a tough fight from Striker. Third place is anyone’s guess, with my bet being on Taurus Black. He’s hungry for a win and racing in some of the best form of his career, but sprints aren’t his strength.”

Lamorak’s voice interrupted. “And what do you make of Lovegood-Potter?”

Caradoc’s voice came back. “She’s the dark horse here for sure. No one expected her to make the finals, racing on a sponsor’s exemption. She’s the first first-time racer to make the finals of the Edinburgh Sprints in its 120-year history. I think it helps that she’s racing the Celeritas Mark II that she helped develop.”

“We’re about to start, Caradoc. The official’s checking the brooms and the racers are mounting. He gives the thumbs-up and the flag is raised. It drops and we’re off!”

“Corvus Black and Derringer get tangled up right at the gate and they’ll both be out of this, Kostinski gets off to a slow start and VanKoos seems to be struggling with stability. Clearwater takes the early lead on the inside, with Striker right on her tail. Taurus Black is in a fight with dark horse Lovegood-Potter for third. He’s got the inside position, but she seems to have the speed advantage.”

“As they round the first pylon, it’s Clearwater, Striker, Taurus Black, and then Lovegood-Potter. Lovegood-Potter makes the dip maneuver below Black to jockey for position. He tries to block her, but she slips to the top and makes her move. As they come down the straight, her superior speed begins to show and she slides by him. Up front, it’s still Clearwater, extending her lead over Striker by half a second as they approach the second pylon.”

“Clearwater hits the apex and accelerates out of the corner, Striker misses her mark and falls further behind. Lovegood-Potter takes an excellent line in the corner and Taurus Black slips into fourth. We’re down the back straight now and coming to the finish. No way Striker can catch Clearwater and she’ll win the Sprints for the seventh time easily. Striker has nearly a one-second advantage on Lovegood-Potter who looks to show in her first race as a professional.”

“As we come across the line, it’s Clearwater, Striker, Lovegood-Potter and Taurus Black. Distant fifth is Kostinski, then VanKoos, Corvus Black and Derringer both with DNFs.”

“There’s the handshake between Clearwater and Striker, these two rivals still have respect for each other after all these years. And now the handshake between Striker and Lovegood-Potter. She claps Lovegood-Potter on the shoulder and seem to tell her good job. Lovegood-Potter sticks her hand out to Clearwater, but Clearwater pulls her in… and Yes! They’re kissing, not caring that everyone can see.”

There’s a long pause and Harry looks at the wireless. He starts to turn the volume knob when Lamorak’s voice comes back, cracking slightly.

“Clearwater’s pulling something from a pocket and kneeling. It’s a ring! She’s saying something to Lovegood-Potter who’s nodding and shaking! I think Clearwater may have asked Lovegood-Potter to marry her! Caradoc, get down there and confirm it.” Heavy footsteps could be hear over the microphone and heavy breathing as presumably Caradoc was running to the pitch.

“It looks like double history here today as Clearwater wins the sprints for a record seventh time and also seems to win the heart of Quidditch star and now professional broom racer Lily Lovegood-Potter. I see Caradoc has finally reached them. Caradoc?”

Caradoc’s voice came faintly. “Ms Clearwater, did you ask Ms Lovegood-Potter to marry you?”

Lily’s voice shouted first, “I said, ‘Yes!’”

Tears flowed down Harry’s face as he listened. He turned to his wife and her face glistened with tears, too. She stood and carefully let the tabby take the chair. It opened one eye halfway, but then settled in to sleep on Gabrielle’s recently vacated warm spot.

“It’ll be good for her to be happy finally,” Gabrielle said, leaning over and kissing her husband.

“Yeah, she deserves it,” Harry said. “She’s always looked out for everyone else, now it’s her turn to be happy.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Harry and Gabrielle sat next to Luna and Pandora as Lily stood before the anvil with Persephone in Gretna Green. Persephone wore her racing uniform with her goggles raised up above her helmet and Lily wore her Tutshill Tornados uniform. A priest dressed as a village blacksmith stood beside the anvil, waiting for them to take their vows.

Lily took Persephone’s hands in hers and they faced each other as the priest led them through their vows. When they’d finished reciting their vows and kissed, they each ran to where a pair of brooms waited for them, jumped over them once and then back. Then they mounted and flew off toward the sunset and their honeymoon in the Hebrides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gretna Green is a real place where couples would elope and the blacksmith is traditional. Look up its fascinating history.


End file.
